Dragon's Breath
by IcyPanther
Summary: After the members of the Gaang fall deathly ill from a Fire Nation poison, Zuko sneaks into town to steal a rare antidote. But when he's caught by bounty hunters, it's up to Sokka to save him. A rescue mission isn't quite so simple though, and time is running out... for everyone. Takes place during Season 3.


Something was wrong.

Even in his fevered state Sokka knew it had been much longer than the hour Zuko had promised he'd be back – already shadows were darkening their camp and the air had a distinct nip to it.

Moving stiffly, Sokka made his way over to the still forms of the rest of his companions, deep in the clutches of sickness. Aang was the worst, his skin having turned a light shade of red all over his chakra lines, which, according to Zuko, meant he didn't have much longer to live.

Sokka put his head in his hands. How was it, after everything they'd survived, this was what destroyed them?

After escaping from the Western Air Temple from Azula's attack, the "GAang" was heading to the Ember Islands where Zuko had a family home. He'd assured the group his father would never look for them there.

The trouble started when they touched down at a village two days ago for supplies. Zuko had stayed outside of town as his wanted poster was plastered everywhere. He'd been declared a traitor to the Fire Nation for assisting the Avatar and was wanted dead or alive by Ozai.

While Sokka, Katara and Suki shopped for supplies, Aang and Toph ran around the small village goofing off. They'd found a children's theater show and one of the highlights featured Fire Flies, a beetle native to the Fire Nation. The beetles had the unique property of lighting themselves on fire and would swarm to make designs.

For a small price, members of the audience could take home several of the Fire Flies, and Toph had jumped on the opportunity, as she could feel the bursts of light and "see" the performance. She'd shown the other members of their group her purchase and they'd let the little bugs skitter over their hands – the 'fire' didn't actually burn – before putting them away in the jar to take back to camp.

So Toph had been completely surprised when, back at camp, Zuko had grabbed the jar and threw it as far as he could.

"_Were you bit?" _Zuko had asked urgently, grabbing Toph's hands and turning them over. _"Were any of you bit?"_

Indeed. All of them had a few tiny, raised bumps on their hands and arms even though they hadn't even felt a sting.

Sokka remembered asking what the big deal was; it couldn't be worse than the bug bites they'd gotten in the Foggy Swamp (and those bugs had been HUGE!).

And then Zuko told them the bites were fatal.

Fire Flies carried a dangerous toxin in their body – it was what allowed them to create the non-burning fire. All Fire Nation children are vaccinated when they're born, which is why the bugs are still used for entertainment.

The poison follows the body's chakra lines and eventually heats the blood to a boiling point. It results in a fever that continually worsens increases until all the organs rupture from the heat. Those who use their chakra lines more – so, benders – will succumb more quickly.

"_I can just heal us, can't I?" _Katara had asked.

"_It's not a wound, it's poison," _Zuko had pointed out. _"You can't heal it."_

There was a way to treat the "Fire Fever," but the antidote – Dragon's Breath, a type of plant – was rare and anyone asking of it would immediately rouse suspicion. After all, Fire Nation citizens were vaccinated.

They would have to steal it.

Unfortunately the village they just came from would be too small to have such a rare herb, said Zuko. They'd need to head to a city to even have a chance of finding it. And the closest one, Jao Shing, was a two-day trip away.

No one was feeling any ill effects yet, but Zuko insisted they leave immediately. And it was a good thing. By evening Aang had developed a mild fever and Toph was feeling strong effects of vertigo. Katara did what she could to keep them cool as they set up camp, but come nightfall she was feverish as well.

Sokka and Suki were the least affected, most likely because they did not actively access their chakra like the benders did on a regular basis, but they found themselves beginning to develop a fever the next morning.

The spent the next two days flying as fast as Appa could carry them towards Jao Shing, Zuko eventually having to take up driving duties as Sokka's vision was starting to blur.

Each night Katara made an ice slab for them all to sleep on, as keeping the body temperature low was the best way to slow the toxin, informed Zuko.

But they didn't have long. Aang was rapidly deteriorating – faster than Zuko had thought – and Toph and Katara weren't far behind. By the time they landed about a mile outside Jao Shing, Zuko thought Aang had maybe a few hours – his skin was starting to splotch – and Katara and Toph not much longer.

Suki and Sokka were both feverish and out of sorts at this point, but still lucid enough to try to help Zuko care for their sick friends. Their original plan had been Zuko, Sokka and Suki to scout out the town and then Zuko would come back and steal the plant.

But they didn't have time. If they waited any longer Aang would be dead.

So Zuko had taken off towards Jao Shing with the promise he'd be back in at most two hours. Sokka and Suki had tried to stay up, cooling off fevered foreheads with wet rags and to keeping an eye on the camp, but they'd both eventually fallen into a fevered sleep.

And now Sokka was awake and it was dark and Zuko _was not back. _

He gently roused Suki, noting the rosy patches of color darkening on her face and her breathing was becoming shallower with every inhale.

"Zuko's not back," he said quietly when she turned pale brown eyes to him.

She glanced at the three unconscious forms lying next to Appa. "What do we do?" she whispered.

"I'll go after him," Sokka said, rising from his crouch and making his way unsteadily towards his pack where he kept his sword. His vision was still blurry and he was beginning to develop a slight case of vertigo if he moved too quickly.

"You're in no condition to fight."

"Neither are you," Sokka countered. "And who said anything about fighting?"

"I've got a bad feeling, Sokka. Zuko… he wouldn't delay. Not with this. Something happened."

"I know," Sokka said grimly. He was remembering all too clearly the wanted posters and the overheard chatter of residents talking about what they'd do if they found their "traitorous" prince.

Suki came up behind him and wrapped her arms about his middle. "I'm scared, Sokka," she said into his back. "If we don't get that plant… everyone is going to die."

"And that's why I need to find Zuko," he said, turning around and gently cupping her fevered cheek in his hand.

"I'll come with you."

Sokka shook his head. "You're showing signs of the fever more than I am." His darker skin hid the flush better, and at a cursory glance he might get passed over as drunk. "They'd spot you instantly."

"I'm stealthier. I am a Kyoshi Warrior, you know."

She reached past Sokka to her own pack to grab her fans, but found herself falling seconds later as her legs buckled beneath her. Only Sokka's incredibly quick reflexes stopped her from ending up face-first in the dirt, although he too staggered and brought them both down to an ungraceful sit.

Temperature was moot at this point, but Sokka could still feel the heat radiating off Suki's skin as she rested her head against his chest. "You need to rest," he said softly.

"It wasn't supposed to be like this," she muttered into his shirt, voice choked with a sob. "It's not supposed to end like this."

"I know," Sokka whispered, placing a kiss on top of her head. "I know. And I won't let it."

"Promise me you'll come back," she said as he helped her over to where their friends were. "Promise me, Sokka."

"I'll be back before you know it." He tried to grin, but it came out more as a grimace. Making sure Suki had plenty of fresh, cold water – they'd conveniently set up came next to a small stream – Sokka moved as quickly as he could towards the town.

He only hoped he wasn't too late.

**A few hours earlier…**

Zuko observed Jao Shing from underneath the hood of his cloak, eyes narrowing at the guards stationed at the main gate. The town – more of a city, rather – was probably about the size of Omashu and was certainly affluent.

While Zuko knew he'd probably find the Dragon's Breath here, he was wishing it wasn't quite so fortified and there weren't so many armed guards. His job was already going to be difficult enough.

The sun was just starting to sink below the horizon and from his vantage point in a tree outside the wall Zuko observed some of the shops starting to close up and people trickling off to their homes. It was still much lighter than he'd like, but at this point they didn't have a choice.

He'd seen firsthand the deadly effects from Fire Fever. Although the vaccine was widely available, some poorer areas of the Fire Nation were unable to procure it. And one of its young victims had been Ty Lee, who had moved to the palace at a young age but never vaccinated.

She had been bitten during a performance at the palace and no one had known until the little girl had collapsed a day later. She hadn't gotten to the stage Aang was at because she'd been given the antidote within half a day, but the memory had seared itself into Zuko's mind. It was also how he remembered what the cure was and how to prepare it – Dragon's Breath crushed into tea with a little mint leaf.

Zuko had dressed in all black save for his red cloak to cover his face as best he could. He clearly couldn't go through the gates, so it looked like he'd be vaulting the wall. Shouldn't be a problem after all the times the Blue Spirit made his way around Ba Sing Se.

He was already high in position up a tree, but Zuko opted to make his way farther down the wall and away from the watchful eyes of the guards. From there it was an acrobatic leap, twisting, turning, a little bit of cursing and finally a quick vault over the 20-foot stone wall… where he then plummeted and very fortunately managed to break his landing on a wheelbarrow of rather leafy cabbages.

Dusting himself off, Zuko fixed his hood and started off into town, trying to blend in with the citizens as he scouted for an apothecary.

He failed to notice a pair of observant eyes track his fall down the wall and then fall into step behind him as he moved deeper into the city.

The streets were still rather full despite the dinner hour, which Zuko was grateful for as it gave him a chance to mingle and look inconspicuously at the storefronts. Most of the shops seemed to be located along two main roads and he found "Mei-Ling's Herbs and Remedies" at the end of the first street.

The inside of the shop was dark, but a quick pull on the handle let Zuko know it was locked. Glancing around to make sure no one was watching, he carefully pulled a small metal pick out of his sleeve and jimmied the lock. To his relief it gave after a few seconds and he slipped inside the store.

It was a typical apothecary – bunches of dried herbs hanging from the ceiling, barrels of ingredients dotted along the walls, a very pungent smell – but what drew Zuko's interest were the small baskets in the wall behind the front counter.

Each basket was neatly labeled with some of the rarer herbs that wouldn't be available to the general public. And sure enough, on the very bottom row, was Dragon's Breath.

There was a small sprig of the bright orange plant, and Zuko knew that amount had probably cost a tiny fortune to the shopkeeper. He very carefully broke the branch in two and placed the remainder along with five gold coins back in the basket. He would never dream of taking the entire thing, just in case someone else without the vaccine was exposed to the toxin. And the coins should more than cover the piece he'd taken.

Tucking the plant securely in his pocket, Zuko went to slip out the back door.

But instead of an empty alley he found himself face to face with a giant of a man. He was dressed in high quality Fire Nation clothes, dark hair pulled back in a braid and a devilish grin adorning his face. Wrapped around his well-muscled arms was a bandana with the emblem of a dagger piercing a flame – the symbol of a Fire Nation bounty hunter.

"Looks like I caught myself a thief," the man said. "I wonder how much you're worth, little fire-rat."

Zuko didn't answer, but drew his dao blades and tugged his hood farther down his face. He could not believe his luck. Lucky to be born indeed.

The man seemed amused at Zuko's antics and removed a large spiked club from his back. "Then shall we dance, fire-rat?"

Zuko didn't plan to stick around and fight. He needed to get past the bounty hunter, head for the roofs and hightail it back to the camp. He was hoping the man was as slow as his size predicted.

Charging soundlessly, Zuko ducked below the swung club and popped up with a blast of fire, surprising his opponent as he pushed him out the door in a whoosh of flames and blades.

But to Zuko's dismay, the attack wasn't enough to even stun the man and he lunged forward with a laugh to reengage the teen.

As the two parried blows, Zuko observed several other men bearing the same bounty hunter symbol clustering around them in a circle.

"Just great," he muttered aloud. At least there seemed to be a code amongst the hunters and none had tried to intervene in the one-on-one fight.

"Give it to him, Laun!" cheered one of the men as the club whizzed dangerously close to Zuko's face.

"You're the most interesting prey I've had in a while," Laun remarked conversationally as Zuko blocked another attack.

Zuko just grunted and let a burst of fire stream from his foot as he kicked, following through with his blades. Laun was pushed backwards and he gave a soft cry when the flame-wreathed blade sank into his arm.

Zuko wasted no time running for the nearest roof and vaulting himself atop it with a grace only bested by a tiger-swan. But as he swung upwards, the breeze knocked the hood from his face and he could practically feel the intake of breath from the gathered men below.

"You…" Laun said in shock, staring at the angry red scar. Zuko took the moment of surprise and dashed off across the rooftops, hearing orders to "stop him!" bellowed seconds later.

Glancing back, Zuko smirked to himself as none of the bounty hunters appeared to be in pursuit. And then he heard the faintest whistling noise before the pain struck.

Burning agony ran up Zuko's entire right leg from where an arrow had pierced his calf. The leg buckled below him mid-stride and with a yelp Zuko plummeted off the rooftop into an alley below. His breath was knocked out of him from the landing and a new streak of pain rode up his body.

Struggling to his feet, Zuko didn't stumble far before the bounty hunters converged on each side. His dao swords had fallen away from him, so he lashed out with a fire burst. But the men were done "playing fair," and all five came at him.

The last thing Zuko saw was Laun's club swinging at his head and then he knew no more.

xxx

By the time Sokka arrived at the city, he was exhausted. He was also incredibly suspicious because the gates were unguarded and loud cheering and yelling was coming from over the wall. Something must be happening to draw the guards' attention from their posts.

But the vacated gates were a blessing and Sokka crept quietly in and towards the town center where the noise was coming from.

And what he saw made his blood freeze.

Illuminated by firelight, Zuko was hanging limply from a gigantic man's hands, stripped to the waist with manacles pulling his arms behind him and another pair binding his feet. Blood dripped down his face over the prominent scar. The crowd around the platform was yelling and cheering as the man waved for silence.

Sokka snuck forward as much as he dared, fingers tightening on the hilt of his sword.

"I, Laun the bounty hunter, captured this traitorous piece of scum!" Wild applause broke out. "I will be claiming the bounty from the Fire Lord, but desire to share my glory with this beautiful city that raised me." The noise of the cheering was threatening to knock Sokka over and he leaned against a pole on the outskirts of the crowd.

"I think it's about time we woke our prince up from his nap, don't you?" Laun gestured to a man standing behind him holding a large bucket. Seconds later Zuko had been dropped to the platform and a torrent of ice-cold water had been dumped over him.

He came to with a gasp and Laun gave him no time to get his bearings before he hauled him once more to his feet, Zuko swaying dangerously on an injured leg.

"What do you have to say to this traitor?" Laun roared.

"YOU'RE A DISGRACE TO THE FIRE NATION!"

"WHERE'S YOUR HONOR NOW?"

"YOU DESERVE DEATH!"

Sokka cringed as if the verbal attacks were aimed at him. Zuko simply bowed his head against the wave of threats and slurs.

"My son died fighting for the Fire Nation!" a woman screamed. "And you dare help his murderers?"

Zuko said something quietly to the woman, which caused Laun to laugh.

"He said he's sorry!" Laun bellowed, shaking Zuko like one would a ragdoll. The crowd roared with amusement.

"Let's make him sorry!" shouted one man.

Laun smiled much like a wolf-shark and Sokka felt absolutely sick. "I think that's an excellent idea."

Zuko knew what was coming next, as Laun made to drag him to a large post in the middle of the platform. He also knew from Uncle that a firebender had more at their disposal than hands and feet. Taking a deep breath and praying he got more than steam, Zuko let it out.

A rush of flames followed and hit Laun square in the back. The man howled and Zuko was free from his grasp, although the bands around his ankles didn't allow him much movement. Before he could move more than a few feet, Laun's men were upon him, one kneeing him roughly in the stomach and causing Zuko to collapse at their feet.

Laun pushed off the assistance of one of his men and stalked over to Zuko, hauling him up by his hair.

"What do you have to say for yourself?" he demanded, fingers tightening in Zuko's scalp.

The crowd, which had been chanting for blood, fell almost silent as they waited to see what Zuko would say.

Despite the pain he was in, Zuko's voice still held regal authority as he addressed the crowd. "I am Zuko, prince of the Fire Nation, and I am not your enemy. I am trying to help. The world is unbalanced because of the Fire Nation. Only the Avatar can help us restore that balance."

Loud booing greeted him, along with demands of where the Avatar was.

Laun took charge once more. He removed a heavy piece of chain from his belt pouch and wrapped it across and in Zuko's mouth, effectively gagging him and preventing anymore fire breathing unless Zuko wanted to burn his own face.

"Once the Avatar finds out his firebender is missing he'll come here and look for him. We can use this fire-rat for bait," he said, smirking down at Zuko, who glared at him and the audience cheered again.

This time meeting no resistance other than trying to dig his knees into the ground, Laun dragged Zuko to the post, forced him to kneel and chained his arms around it.

"Any citizen that has been wronged by this traitor is welcome to teach him a lesson," said Laun, accepting a dangerous-looking whip from one of his men. "But I think I'll go first."

The whip struck like a serpent-lion and Zuko arched his back as a weeping red line showed on his pale flesh. People began lining up – men, women and even children – to mete out punishment.

Sokka felt helpless as lash after lash rained down on his friend. He could barely walk in a straight line, let alone run up, cut Zuko free, evade the bad guys and escape. He could feel the outline of the bison whistle he'd thrust into his tunic, but unless he could figure out a way to free Zuko it wouldn't matter. And if they didn't have the plant none of this would matter because they would all be dead.

"What do I do?" he whispered as the first of Zuko's muffled cries split the air and the blood lust of the crowd increased. People were sweeping past him to clamber for their chance and at this rate Sokka would be incredibly obvious hanging back.

It was then he felt a gnarled hand on his own, gently squeezing down on the hilt of his sword.

"You are with the prince?" a raspy voice asked and Sokka froze. He craned his neck very slightly to make out the short form of an old woman, silvery hair pulled up in a messy bun on her head. "Come with me," the woman ordered. "I will help you."

Sokka cast a glance at Zuko, the boy hanging limply from his bonds as the townspeople continued to assault him, before allowing the woman to pull him away. There was nothing he could do for Zuko right now, and his only hope lie in this stranger.

The woman pulled him into a storefront and gestured for him to sit at a small table. Sokka immediately recognized it as an herb shop and wondered if this place would have Dragon's Breath.

"My name is Mei-Ling, the owner of this shop," the woman said, bustling around to gather a grinding stone, a teacup and pot. "Your friend apparently stole one of my very rare plants this evening."

Sokka's breath caught. So there had been Dragon's Breath here. And Zuko had been captured getting it.

"Laun found it upon him and, silly boy, returned it to me not knowing its true value. He is a good boy," she mused, and Sokka resisted the urge to disagree. "I can only assume the Avatar has come down with Fire Fever, yes?" she asked.

Sokka nodded mutely.

"As wrong as stealing is, the prince easily left behind the value of my plant in gold and did not take the entire branch either. I find that very commendable."

She placed a cup of bitter smelling tea in front of Sokka. "Now drink up. That fever won't heal itself."

"Why would you help us?" Sokka asked, eyeing the cup with distrust. "How do I know you're not poisoning me?"

"You're already poisoned," the herbalist pointed out. "But to your question…" She sighed. "I am an old woman that has lost two sons to this war. I do not care for this fighting; I just wish my sons were alive. If the Avatar is able to stop the war… stop other mothers from losing their sons… I would see him do it."

"Thank you," Sokka said thickly, draining his cup.

"You must hurry back to the Avatar," Mei-Ling said. "I assume he does not have much time left."

"I have to free Zuko first," Sokka said. His head already felt a little clearer – whether from adrenaline or the antidote he wasn't sure – and he felt like he might be able to (with a whole lot of luck) rescue his friend now.

But Mei-Ling shook her head. "You do not have time. Your symptoms were poor, my boy, the Avatar's will be much worse. You must bring him the antidote immediately."

"And abandon Zuko?"

She bowed her head.

Sokka couldn't believe this. Obviously he needed to get the antidote to Aang and his sister (he promised his dad he'd look out for her, he couldn't lose her) and Toph and Suki. If Aang died, the world may as well be over. He was the number one priority.

But…

"_I will never turn my back on people who need me!" _

Katara's passionate words from just weeks earlier echoed in his mind and Sokka knew what he had to do. He just had to trust Aang to hold on a little longer.

He had a new mission.

xxx

Zuko wondered if the pain would ever end. He'd lost count somewhere after sixty lashes. Whenever he would lose himself to unconscious, he would forcibly be brought back with a bucket of saltwater over his wounds.

But the physical pain was a shadow of what he felt inside. He'd failed. Aang, the world's last hope, was going to die because of him. Katara… Sokka… Toph… Suki… He killed them.

Vaguely Zuko was aware of his arms being unchained from the post, but he had no strength left to fight. Even if he got free, then what? The Dragon's Breath was gone and he had no hope of saving his friends.

Voices faded in and out above him, but he caught the gist of what Laun was saying to his men. The poster said dead or alive – wouldn't it be easier to just bring his head than having to cart him around?

Laun seemed to have posed the question to the crowd, because applause thundered in the square and  
Zuko was dragged to the front of the platform. His head was placed on top of something – a barrel? – and a rope tied him to it.

Defeated eyes scanned the crowd as the taste of blood and iron welled up in his mouth. There were a few individuals who looked hesitant about beheading him, but the majority of the crowd was cheering with a vengeance.

And then he locked gazes with a pair of very familiar, horrified looking blue.

"_I'm sorry," _he wanted to say, but couldn't. He could only stare at Sokka and hope the warrior understood his plea for forgiveness. Not that he deserved it. Sokka's gaze left him to drift upwards and Zuko closed his eyes, feeling a tear make its way down his cheek. This was it then.

Sokka meanwhile was blowing on the bison whistle as hard as he could. He'd planned on creating a diversion and rescuing Zuko in the confusion, but now there was no time.

His friend – a member of his family – was about to be murdered.

And he would not let it happen.

Laun was acting as executioner and armed with a battle-axe. He stepped up behind Zuko and bent down to whisper in the prince's ear. "A fitting end, fire-rat. I'll put you out of your miserable existence."

The axe was raised. It came down. And then the bright sound of metal hitting metal echoed around the suddenly silent square.

Sokka strained to hold back the axe with his sword, body positioned in an awkward crouch from where he'd leapt up on stage. With the element of his surprise, Sokka pushed upwards with all he had and sent Laun stumbling back.

Before the man could recover, Sokka slashed at the ropes tying Zuko down. "Get up," he ordered, worry making his voice sharp. Injured as he was, Zuko miraculously stumbled to his feet, although he swayed unsteadily behind Sokka.

"Two fire-rats then?" Laun asked.

"No," Sokka said, voice steely. "Two heroes and one pissed off air-bison."

That was their only warning as Appa crashed down with a bellow, blasting everyone off the stage. Sokka practically threw Zuko onto the animal and had just managed to grab the saddle when Appa took off.

"Good boy."

Appa lowed in agreement.

Once at camp, Sokka loaded everyone onto Appa and took off immediately. Zuko had slipped into unconsciousness, but Sokka had to leave him as he forced the now-cold tea down everyone's throats.

While no one woke up immediately, Sokka gratefully noticed the red lines were fading on Aang's skin and the others looked less flushed. Suki's half-awake smile and whispered "you came back," told him everything would be alright.

Momo had poked Zuko into wakefulness by the time Sokka returned to dress his wounds (until Katara was up to healing him).

"You saved me," Zuko said quietly.

"Couldn't just leave you there," Sokka smiled. _I won't turn my back on people who need me._

"I almost killed everyone. If you hadn't been there –"

"None of that," Sokka interrupted, ignoring Zuko's hiss of pain as he tightened a bandage. "You heard what I said – two heroes. We're going to change the world, Zuko, and we can't do it without you."

Zuko offered him a small smile. "Thanks, Sokka. For believing in me."

"Thanks, Zuko. For not giving up on us."

The two shared an understanding glance.

There would surely be more obstacles to face before the war was over.

But they were a family. And together they would succeed.

**Author's Notes:**

I know, I know, this is not an update to any ongoing fic. (It's also not a sign I'm off my hiatus, although I am currently working on One Step at a Time! – sorry!). This is in fact an entry to a fanfiction contest I'm entering for an upcoming anime convention I'm attending – !

The criteria was to write a 1,000- 5,000 word story in a science fiction, fantasy, anime, or related genre so I chose to try my hand in ATLA. I'm a huge ATLA fan (and this new season of LoK is awesome!) and have always wanted to try and write something for it. I'm a huge Zutarian, but I also love fics featuring Zuko and Sokka and their bromance. I wish I'd been able to write a little more, but overall I'm pretty happy with this piece. Hope it's a good contribution to the ATLA fanfiction community!

I'd love to hear your thoughts on it – drop a review below? Thanks for reading!

(P.S. - this is the first and only chapter. Just a one-shot :) Thanks!)


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